My friends are boring. They have no interest in homebrewing or drinking any other beer but bud light.

Needless to say, I end up home brewing alone a lot. I love it. It's relaxing, but I find that I go through spurts where I brew a lot, at least once a week for several months, and then I don't brew again for 6 months or more. During that time, I typically forget everything I learned in my busy brewing season and end up basically starting over as a beginner when I do decide to pick up the hobby again. It's frustrating because I'm dying to work into doing some all grain recipes, but never quite feel ready.

Which brings me to the real point of this post, should I join a club to find people with whom to enjoy the hobby? Have other people found value in being in a brewing club?

I suppose I've been hesitant to do so to this point because I'm intimidated. As an intermediate/beginner brewer I don't feel I have a whole lot to bring to the table of a club, and I don't want people looking down on me for that.

Are you a socially minded person? I have never joined a club and never felt the need to. It depends on whether you would feel more connected by socializing with like minded people by joining a "in real life" organmization. I have found all the connectedness I need from participating in the forums. YMMV.

i've been thinking the same thing. my best friend thinks Killian's is the be all and end all of craft beer.
don't be intimidated because you're not as experienced as some. everyone started out a beginner. a local club could be a great way to get feedback on your beers. that's why i'm looking into joining a club, it's one thing for a non beer lover to say your beer's good, it's completely different when a brewer tells you WHY your beer's good.

I've been thinking the same thing. The club closest to my house is meeting on Monday, so I think I'm going to go check them out and see what they're all about. From all reports, they're supposed to be pretty cool (and brew great beer), so I'm excited.

Are you a socially minded person? I have never joined a club and never felt the need to. It depends on whether you would feel more connected by socializing with like minded people by joining a "in real life" organmization. I have found all the connectedness I need from participating in the forums. YMMV.

I'm much the same though I am thinking of venturing out so I can get some input on my brews and compare notes and whatnot. The sampler/input side of things is the on thing you really miss out on unless you have friends who brew.

The people at work love the samples I give them but that isn't quite the same as getting feedback from another brewer.

Which brings me to the real point of this post, should I join a club to find people with whom to enjoy the hobby? Have other people found value in being in a brewing club?

I suppose I've been hesitant to do so to this point because I'm intimidated. As an intermediate/beginner brewer I don't feel I have a whole lot to bring to the table of a club, and I don't want people looking down on me for that.

Advice?

Don't sell yourself short...you have a ton to bring to a homebrew club.

I find that the act of teaching - in any field - makes me better at that activity. You have a lot to learn, and the local club has a lot to teach. And by teaching you, they are refining their brewing without touching a pot. By explaining process and concepts to you in a way that an inexperienced brewer understands, they are re-enforcing those concepts to themselves. By asking questions - especially ones that require some thought - you are forcing them to think about brewing in the abstract, away from the heat of battle, so to speak. It's a lot like what we do here.

The value is that everyone is an individual, with their own tastes and creativity. You can take what one person did, throw your spin on it and come up with a similar, but very different effect. They can pick up things from you, too.

Oh, and most clubs have a group bulk malt order you can get in on, too...

So go for it. You'll give as much as you get, even if you don't see it.

there is one in Austin that seems pretty awesome. I live about an hour away in Killeen. They have one of those old yahoo groups pages that is just mass emails. Once a month they all get together and sample each others brews and talk shop... I should drop in on one of those some time. I just feel kinda weird about it.